


Jury Duty

by RumbelleDearie



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Cunnilingus, F/M, Fingerfucking, Hand Jobs, Hot, Jury Duty, Light BDSM, Light Dom/sub, Like the temperature, Multiple Orgasms, No air conditioning, Relationship(s), Rumbelle Order In The Court, Smut, Teasing, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-11
Updated: 2017-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-17 16:01:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10597407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RumbelleDearie/pseuds/RumbelleDearie
Summary: Written for Rumbelle Order in the Court"And they say jury duty isn't any fun!"Storybrooke is experiencing a heat wave, and the small town power system just couldn't support the access use of air conditioner units. As a result, power is spotty and the heat is sweltering! But the two jurors in the corner of the jurors box appear to be experiencing a very different type of heat indeed! Tantalized by Belle's open blouse, Mr. Gold can't quite help himself and the two quickly begin to tease each other. But what will happen when they are caught and sent to the judges chambers?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Reading Everybody! xx

The sun was sweltering. It had been an unusually hot August in Storybrooke Maine. The town's power supplies had not been prepared for the influx in air conditioner usage and as a result power supply had been spotty, and the heat, vindictive.

Today was one of those days. The sun was shining in through the windows, the heat reflecting off the glass window pains and burning into the skin of the poor soul who got stuck in the crossfire. The air was humid and sticky, traveling through lungs with a burning feeling. Sweat was beading off brows, eyes were heavy lidded with exhaustion, and minds were idled stupid by overwhelming heat.

The Storybrooke courthouse happened to be one of those places in Storybrooke left  _ without  _ air conditioning - in fact all of the town's owned properties, except for the mayor's office of course, were left without air conditioning. 

But the unpleasant stench, shortened patience, and down right nasty attitude of most Storybrooke citizens was not shared by two. In fact the couple sitting next to each other in the juror's box at the Storybrooke courthouse was feeling an entirely different sort of heat.

Nicholas Gold was eyeing Belle French out of the corner of his eye. He had to pretend to be paying attention to the prosecution of course, he was in fact on jury duty, but he couldn’t help his eyes wander over the lovely woman beside him. Besides, jury duty hardly mattered in a small town like Storybrooke. Everyone in town had either witnessed any crime possibly committed, or if it wasn’t witnessed everyone sure as hell would have heard about it from all the gossip in town. Plus, Killian Jones was on trial for piracy and there was no doubt in Gold’s mind that Mr. Jones was guilty of stealing whatever it was this farce of a trail was about.

The point was that nothing remained secret in Storybrooke, and that was precisely why his little triste will librarian Belle French was dangerous. 

Belle shifted in her seat, causing her black pencil skirt to ride up slightly, revealing more of her porcelain thigh. Gold cleared his throat and loosened his tie, suddenly he began to feel the heat in the room as he eyed her body. Belle reached forward to the the ledge in front of them, grabbing her cup of water and bringing it to her lips. Gold watched intently as her lips touched the cool plastic, her throat bobbing as she swallowed the refreshing liquid, leaving her lips slick and moist. Gold wanted to bring his hand to his pants, shift around the constricting fabric, but he knew it would be to obvious to her at this point. But Gold was weak, and Belle was playing to all his vulnerable points. He covered the movement of his hand with the clearing of this throat, attempting to look as if he was fidgeting to gain comfort, but Belle watched as the heel of his hand scraped over the outline in his trousers. 

Belle smiled, a chuckle escaping her lips. She quickly brought her hand up to cover her mouth in embarrassment - the prosecutor, Mulan Fa, halting the examination of the witness as she turned to look at Belle. Belle covered her carelessness with a small cough, reaching for her water glass again and taking a quick sip. Satisfied, the prosecution continued and Belle resumed her inconspicuous stare at Mr. Gold's crotch - the outline of his cock becoming clearer under her scrutiny. 

She decided to tease him a step further, pretending to fan herself in the heat as she brushed her hair back and moved to unbutton the top button of her white blouse. Nick stared at her chest, the lacy black bra visible through the white shirt which clung to her skin in the heat. He gulped as she continued to the second button, and he nearly whimpered when she went for a third, dragging her slender fingers along her collarbone and revealing the fringe at the top cups of her bra, a tear of sweat dripping down into her cleavage. He remembered what the matching panties looked like, and he really began to feel heated when he remembered the rosy colour of her nipples, the blush on her face when she approached orgasm, and the ecstasy in her expression when she reached climax. God his cock was throbbing now.

When Nicholas Gold and Belle French had found out they were both called for jury duty on Killian Jones's case, Belle had boldly invited Gold out to coffee. Mr. Gold had been a frequent guest of the library, checking out books he never intended to read but wanting to see Belle French. Likewise, Belle avidly visited his shop, browsing the dusty books, fine jewelry, and the countless other things they both knew she couldn’t afford. Gold had always offered to reduce the prices for her, but they also both secretly knew that she wasn’t there to purchase anything. 

Jurors weren't really supposed to speak outside of court, let alone in court, but in a place like Storybrooke that was unavoidable. Besides, since the initial coffee date Nicholas and Belle hadn’t once bothered to talk about trash like Killian Jones, they had other things on their mind. 

But since that initial coffee date - and yes it was a date Belle had assured him repeatedly afterwards - their relationship had been progressing rather well. They had to be careful of course, not wanting anyone in Storybrooke to know about their affair. And they were getting careless, repeatedly showing affection and expressing their desires in public and semi-public places. Hell they were teasing each other in a courtroom of all places! But they were in the honeymoon stages of their romance, and there wasn’t anything that could stop them from fucking every chance they got; except perhaps a judge.

Nicholas caught Judge French's eye, quickly turning his attention towards Mulan Fa as she showed the jurors a surveillance photo of Killian clearly breaking into the shipping yard. If Maurice - Moe to his friends - French had found out Mr. Gold was fucking his daughter, let alone another jury member, Nicholas could say hello to a life sentence in Storybrooke county, he was certain of it. If there was one thing Maurice French hatted more than the men in town trying to date his daughter, it would be the man, Mr. Gold, trying - and successfully - dating his daughter.  

Nevertheless, Gold quickly began to lose interest in the case, distracted when Belle had crossed her legs, causing her skirt to ride up even further. Gold audaciously reached his hand out, placing it against Belle’s knee. Her breath hitched as she swiveled her head around to see if anyone was watching them - Aurora was sitting to her left but she seemed pleasantly engrossed in Mulan’s argument. Belle watched as the tanned hand slid over her knee, the skin on her thighs pebbling as his warm hand slid further over her thigh. She hummed softly as he stopped at the hem of her skirt, his fingers dangerously close to her core, he could no doubt feel the heat from her centre radiating onto his fingers. He stroked her thigh with his thumb, licking his lips as his gaze was centered on the courtroom and the evidence being presented. He tuned out the noise around them, listening to Belle’s breath, her breasts softly rising and falling, the steady hum coming from her lips, and the pulse point at her neck fluttering rapidly. 

Fortunately, Gold was sitting at the end of the jury box so there was no one near him who could witness their misconduct, and Aurora was still engrossed in the proceedings. 

So Nicholas allowed his mind to wander, thinking of the three times he had made this little beauty cum last night before they climaxed together in completion. Belle was still wearing her clothes from yesterday, having spent the night at his house. Gold had invited her to spend the night - claiming that it was only because his house always had air conditioning whereas her apartment over the library did not, it being one of the properties owned by the town. Gold had used this defence because he didn’t want her to think their relationship was moving too fast, even though he was probably already in love with her at this point. Gold didn’t need Belle to know that. 

He tickled the insides of her thigh with his fingers and Belle had to practically fight off the sensations in her seat. When he pushed the edge of her skirt up a little further Belle couldn't take it anymore, she brought her hand to Nick’s, stopping his inquisitive fingers and sending him a death stare. Aurora finally turned her head towards the two, raising a judgmental brow as she looked at their joint hands, precariously resting in Belle's lap. Belle blushed, sending the younger girl a guilty expression before gently letting go of Nick’s hand and pulling her skirt down. Aurora scoffed at their audacity, returning her attention towards Mulan with a grin, but Mulan wasn’t even up now - it was Albert Spencer who provided a defence for Killian Jones - _so why was Aurora twiddling her hair and staring at the beautiful Mulan in her power suit?_ Suddenly, Belle realised that her and Gold’s secret would be safe with Aurora, once she knew that Belle had an inkling about the younger girls secret - not that Belle would ever use a secret like that as leverage against the young lady, but if it provided her and Nick a little more freedom, then so be it.

Belle brought her hand to Nick’s left knee this time, squeezing him tightly in punishment. Nicholas winced, thankful that her grip was on his good knee, but he knew he was being punished for his lascivious efforts. His punishment got worse when she ran her hand up the soft silk of his dress pants, her hand cupping his hardened cock.

Nick swore under his breath, he was really in trouble by now. Belle ran her hand over his shaft, feeling him fill out against the confines of his pants. She rubbed against the curve of him, making her way to the head of his cock where she rubbed the blunt end with the right amount of force. Nick was clenching his teeth, his face clearly contorted with the lines on his forehead and his deep brown eyes pleading for relief. But Belle didn’t ease up, she would at times stroke his thigh lightly to allow him to breathe, but her hand would return to his aching cock moments later. Gold was really starting to feel the heat now, he had completely loosened his tie and was thinking about taking off his suit jacket when Belle’s tight little hand squeezed firmly around his cock.

“Fuck!” Nicholas spat out, and every head in the courtroom turned to face him, Auroras gaze settling right towards Mr. Gold’s lap. Belle’s hand froze, caught with his hard cock in her hand. Although no one could see for sure what exactly was making the infamous Mr. Gold swear in the middle of a court proceeding, if the bright red blush on Belle French’s face was any indication then the two were about to be severally in trouble. 

“Mr. Gold, Miss French, this is the second time you have interrupted today’s proceedings.” Judge Maurice French bellowed, looking down at the guilty pair. “What exactly do you find so amusing about a criminal trial?”

“Nothing…” Nick had to clear his throat, his voice unusually high as he noted the small hand still resting upon his manhood. “Nothing sir, merely an enlightening piece of evidence.”

“Hardly.” Judge French scoffed, it appeared he to was rather bored with the detail of the case and would like to get on with the verdict and sentencing. “Have you even been paying attention at all?” French questioned sternly.

“Of course your honour.”

“What are you blushing at Miss French!” Judge French - her very own father - interrogated unexpectedly causing Belle to jump.

“Nothing your honour, it’s...it’s the heat. It’s very hot in the juror's box.” Belle swallowed hard, she wasn’t used to lying to her Papa, let alone under oath in a courtroom. Knowing her father's line of work he could usually sense a lie the minute he heard one, it had always been an unfair challenge to overcome growing up.

“I’ll bet it is.” Judge French looked at his daughter skeptically. “Bailiff,” Maurice turned towards Dove, a tall man standing in uniform in the corner, “Please escort Mr. Gold  _ and  _ Miss French to my chambers.” He turned to address the remainder of the court,  “We will have an hour recess. Miss Fa, Mr. Spencer, we may be looking at replacing two jurors so be prepared for the possibility.” And with a nod of his head and a slam of his gavel Maurice had signified the recess.

Belle finally lifted her hand from Nick’s cock, pulling down on her skirt as she stood up. Gold on the other hand was panicking, if he stood up certainly everyone would see his erection, god that would be a story to tell! Belle stood up in front of him, covering him as he stood and he quickly turned his back to the watchful room. Gold sent Belle a grateful smile, which faltered quickly as Judge French looked at him, clearly studying the transgression happening between his daughter and the deal maker. Gold amended his formal smile and sent Belle a glare that said something along the lines of  _ you're going to pay for this _ . Truthfully, a stare like that only made Belle hornier.

Belle watched as her father stood up and retreated into an office just next door. It wasn’t his Judge's chambers, Belle knew that much. The uncertainty made her stomach clench. She didn’t want to imagine the kind of trouble they were about to get themselves into.

Dove escorted them out of the courtroom and down a narrow hallway before depositing them in the Judge’s chambers. Dove closed the door behind him before a soft click was heard, signifying the door had been locked. 

“Well Fuck!” Nicholas spat as he sat down in one of the leather armchairs facing Judge French's desk. He shifted his cock in his pants, thankful they had managed to escape without anyone noticing the state of his arousal, and even more thankful that his dick now had some much need room to breathe. 

“This is an absolute disaster!” Belle said as she paced back and forth in front of the desk, her black stiletto’s cushioned on the dark grey carpet of the chamber floor. 

Nicholas should have said something reassuring but instead he was staring at her legs, her firm calves that had wrapped around his back last night as he thrust into her warm pussy. He licked his lips and brought his hand to his cock, teasing himself through his trousers. 

“I’m serious Nicholas! We could be charged with juror misconduct here! We could actually face imprisonment!” She continued to pace in the heat, her blouse opening slightly as she briskly moved back and forth in the small space giving Gold a clear view of her bra. “What’s worse is I can’t even imagine what my father is going to do when he finds out about this!” She halted and turned to look at him, the concerned expression wiped off her face as she saw his hand rubbing over the bulge in his trousers. “You’re kidding me. You’re absolutely fucking kidding me. Nick! We could be in serious trouble here, for the exact thing you’re thinking about doing, and yet here you are rubbing yourself off in the middle of a Judge's chambers! What the hell were we thinking we had jury duty! We took an oath!”

“Pull up your skirt.” Gold cut her off - once Belle started panicking like that she would never lose her train of thought. “I said pull up your skirt.” He repeated and Belle’s mouth parted rather prettily, her breath catching in her lungs as she stared at him with lust. He could tell she wanted to object, but her hands came to the hem of her skirt, pulling up the material, until it bunched around her waist. “Sit against the desk. I’ve been dying to see if you’re as wet as I am hard.”

Belle bit down on her bottom lip, moving back so that her backside brushed against the desk, she pulled herself onto it, pushing back some of the desks contents as her cheeks got comfortable on the wooden surface. Her pussy was hot, she knew her panties were soaked. The very prospect of being caught while they were in court, and now a Judge - her father no less - walking in on them thrilled her to the bone. She loved that Nick was adventurous in their sex life. Belle might be a bookworm to most people, but she had always considered herself to have a thirst for adventure. 

“Are you wet dear?” Nicholas asked as he stood up, leaving his cane against the armchair as he bent down between Belle’s legs.

“Soaked.” She said slowly as she watched him descend, his hands touching the insides of her knees and spreading her legs. Belle cried when his face surged forward, burying his nose in her drenched panties and taking in the scent of her arousal. He teased her clit through the fabric while he rubbed his face against her warmth, but it wasn’t enough, he needed more, and he needed it quickly if they were going to risk not getting caught. 

“Let me taste you?” He asked, kissing the insides of her thighs and Belle began to squirm out of her underwear. He pocketed the stained pair of panties in the pocket of his jacket before turning to stare at her pussy with hunger. He could see the juices built on her folds, smearing against the hard surface of the desk. He brought his thumb right to her clit again, brushing against the dark curls. His touch was teasing, payback for Belle’s earlier treatment of his cock in the courtroom. 

“We don’t have time for you to punish me Nick, anyone could come through that door any minute,” She warned him impatiently, but the teasing little circles on her clit didn’t cease.

“The door’s locked Belle. I can play all I want.” And play he did. He brought his tongue to her lips, lapping slightly at the wetness, sucking in the flesh and releasing it with a smack before drawing his tongue up and down the length of her folds repeatedly. Belle dug her fingers into his hair, pulling tightly at the fine strands in order to ground her. She rotated her hips on the desk, hoping to get him to rub her clit just a little harder or direct his tongue towards her opening. 

Nick smiled against her pussy, the laugh and cold breath of air he emitted sending shivers coursing through Belle’s body. Her body jerked when he pinched her clit between his fingers and sent his tongue flicking at her opening. He rolled the bud between his fingers as he thrust his tongue into her centre, fucking her cunt with his mouth as she pushed his face into her pussy. He was practically drowning in her, the wetness from her cunt, the heat of her pussy, her thighs clenching around his head as she buried him into her, not to mention the fact that the room had no air conditioning.

Belle threw her head back, her dark brown curls falling behind her as she was absorbed in the sensations of her body. “I swear your tongue is magical.” She panted as she rocked her hips against his face, no doubt smearing her juices all over his mouth. Nick withdrew from inside her before quickly sucking her clit into his mouth. “Yes!” Belle pleaded in thanks as his mouth worried the angry bud, spitting it out to lick tenderly with the flat of his tongue before roughly scraping his teeth across it. He brought one of his hands to Belle’s hips to keep her steady as he brought the other up to her pussy. 

“Do you want this?” Nick asked, breathing against her clit while his finger circled her vagina. Belle nodded frantically, the sweat beading down from her brow as her body teetered on the edge. “Then ask for it?” Nick said sinfully, his finger teasing the fluttering hole as his mouth savaged her clit again.

“Finger me!” Belle whispered, feeling her nipples tingle and her core ache. Her body was practically convulsing, her skin sensitive and wanting.

He released her clit with a sloppy pop, “What was that?”

“Please finger fuck me! I want you inside me! Please let me cum Nick. I want you to drink me down.”

With a groan of pleasure Nicholas buried his finger within her, thrusting quickly as he flicked harshly against her clit. Soon a continuous strand of cries was leaving Belle’s mouth, and she nearly shouted out when he added a second finger, curling the digits inside her and brushing against the spots that made her sing. Her channel began to clench around him, her pussy slurping with juices as his fingers fucked her and his mouth kept her on the edge. 

“Come on Belle.” Nicholas whispered repeatedly when he let go of her clit for air, before burying himself back in her cunt.

Belle broke with a cry, collapsing back against the desk as her climax rippled through her. Her walls clenched around his fingers and he stilled, letting her body ride out the orgasm, enjoying the intrusion of his fingers as he lightly lapped at her clit. When the waves had subsided he withdrew his fingers, kissing her pubic hair before standing up, his knee cracking from the unconventional position. 

Belle looked up at him, moving up onto the backs of her elbows, something sharp had been pressing into her back anyways. “That was amazing-” But before she could go any further Nick had leaned over her body, smashing his lips against her own. Belle could taste herself on his tongue, and feel her wetness against his cheeks as he kissed her. His hand still played with her pussy, rubbing through her labia to gather the moisture there and bringing it back over to the sensitive tip. Belle sucked hard on his lip when his fingers pressed against her aching clit, rubbing in rough circles. He leaned closer to her, and Belle wrapped her arms around his neck, her breasts pressing against his chest as his body bared down on her, his tongue consumed her, and his fingers played her. She could still feel the tingles from her first orgasm trickle through her body as he built her up towards a second. He increased his pace, his fingers punishing her clit, and Belle knew she would break soon.

“You want to cum don’t you Belle?” He breathed against the skin of her neck as he struggled to keep up the pace of his fingers while grinding his cock against the edge of the desk.

“I do!” She huffed desperately, her arms falling numb as she gripped his neck tightly.

“You want to cum very badly don’t you darling?” She nodded, “You wanted it so bad you couldn’t even keep your needy little hands off my cock while we were in fucking court.”

And his dirty words sent her over the edge with a strangled cry, the ripples running through her body sharply, the sensation becoming so overwhelming she could barely form her next sentence. “I want your cock Nick.”

“Good,” He grinned like a predator, “You're going to get it. I’m going to fuck you so hard, you’ll wish you hadn’t teased me in that court room.” 

_ Doubtful,  _ Belle thought with a smile. 

“Turn around,” Gold commanded, pulling Belle’s arms from around his neck. “Hand’s flat on the desk.” She complied, turning around and reaching her palms out towards the hard surface of the wood. “Bend over.” He said through gritted teeth, placing one hand at the small of Belle’s back and pushing her down against the desk. Her breasts felt good when she pressed them against the hard surface, and if she tried hard enough she could rub her clit against the edge of the desk. 

Nick spanked her ass as he noticed her grinding against the desk. “Ouch!” Belle squealed, unprepared for the stinging that coursed through her bottom. 

“Greedy girls don’t get cock.”

And Belle stopped the movement of her hips right away. She smiled when she heard the clinking of his belt and gasped when she felt the blunt head of his cock pressing against her folds. 

“Please fuck me? Let me have your cock?” She asked nicely, feeling the hardness of him run through her folds as if he was taking his time.

“Of course my Belle.” And in one swift motion he had plunged inside her.

Belle reached her hands forward, gripping onto the front of the desk as he rammed into her from behind. It was dirty, his pace fast, hard, and rough. His pants were smacking against Belle’s ass as he thrust into her, something about having all their clothes on made it that much more exciting.  

He spanked her ass again, causing Belle to cry in pleasure, the sting making her feel something new. His fingers were curling into the skin at her waist, his cock bumping deep inside her and he wasn’t going to last much longer.

“Well, go on, you can rub your greedy little clit now.” He snarled as he smacked into her, her body banging against the desk. Belle took advantage of the permission, rubbing herself off against the edge of the desk while Nicholas plunged into her, his assault relentless.

Belle’s nails dug into the edge of the desk when she brushed her clit down over the corner, the sharp wood almost painful as the build up of sensations finally set her pleasure centres free. She clenched her eyes as the climax drilled through her, feeling Nick speed up as his cock dipped into her harder, three more sharp pumps and his hot cum was spurting into her channel. 

He groaned out in pleasure, pulling against the handful of Belle’s brown curls that he had clenched tightly in his fist. He pulled frown within her, the sharp loss ripping Belle apart as Nick stumbled backwards without his cane and he could collapsed in the leather chair. 

Belle uncurled her fingers from the desk, her back sore and her pussy throbbing as she stretched out her muscles and willed her body to stand. She pulled down her skirt, her legs uncomfortably sticky as she turned around to find Nick breathing heavily and tucking his softened cock back into his pants.

“Here,” Belle said as she bent down for his belt and handed the soft leather to him.

“Thank you Belle.” Their fingers brushed lightly as the accessory exchanged hands between them, and for some odd reason it was that delicate touch that left Belle blushing.

She didn’t want Nicholas to see her blush because she didn’t want him to think she was ready for a more significant type of commitment then he was. Even though, truthfully, she was probably already in love with him. So she turned around to clean up the desk, shuffling papers and picking up picture frames - pictures that happened to be of her and her late mother. 

“I hope that was okay Belle. I might have gotten a little carried away with the moment and-”

“It was unbelievably hot Nick!” She said earnestly, turning around to face him so he could see the truth of her words written on her expression. 

Nick smiled, pleased with himself, but also slightly nervous about what he was going to propose to her next, he didn’t handle rejection well. “Listen Belle-”

“Honestly Nick, the orgasms were amazing. I’m just glad we didn’t get caught-”

But at some point in her sentence, and Belle certainly hoped it was the later half, the door to the Judge's chambers clicked, the doorknob turning and opening up to reveal a very large and disgruntled Judge Maurice French.

“And what precisely are you glad you did not get caught for Miss French?” Her father's booming voice resounded through the small chamber as he closed the door behind him and moved towards his desk, sitting down in the swivel chair with a thud, Gold thought it might have snapped in two. Maurice raised his brow, “Well?”

Belle carefully sat down in the armchair next to Mr. Gold, aware of the fact that she didn’t have any underwear on. 

“Belle you of all people should know the seriousness of jury duty.” Maurice threatened, and Belle bit down on her bottom lip, she was absolutely at a loss to come up for a cover for their problem. When Belle, or Mr. Gold, couldn’t provide an answer Maurice continued. “You know, jury misconduct is a crime-”

“Yes Papa I know, but I swear we didn’t, we weren’t, it’s different…”

Sensing her struggle Nicholas stepped in, “You see your honour,” He ground his teeth, he hated having to refer to Maurice French of all people as such, “It was slightly hard for us to take this trial seriously when it was blatantly obvious that Killian Jones was guilty of said crime. We were simply wasting taxpayers money, and everyone’s time being here today.”

Maurice leaned back in is chair, everyone feeling the silence around them as Maurice tested Gold’s answer in his mind. But Gold had appealed to Maurice’s sensibilities, and he certainly wasn’t lying about his feelings of the trial. “True enough.” The Judge finally replied. But just when Belle and Nick thought their problem was solved Maurice asked, “Belle, aren’t those the clothes you were wearing yesterday?”

Belle’s face went white, draining of any colour she had. Her and Nick exchanged a look, which Maurice took note of.

“Yes Papa they are.” She said slowly, thinking about her excuse.

“My house is air conditioned you see,” Gold interjected, “And because the power has been spotty, and the heat absurd, I told Belle she could spend the night in one of my many guest rooms.”

“Hence the same clothes.” Belle added, corroborating Gold’s story, and they had still yet to tell a lie - well mostly, she hadn’t exactly spent the night in a guest room, more like wrapped in Nick's arms and buried beneath his fine sheets. 

“It is illegal for jurors to meet outside of the courtroom, whether socially or sexually-”

“God Papa no!” Belle half yelled, half whispered in embarrassment, and in that moment both she, Gold, and her Papa, knew that their cover had finally been blown. 

“Belle is there something you wish to tell me?”

“Absolutely not!” She looked absolutely horrified, and Gold couldn’t bring himself to make eye contact with Judge French either. 

“You know, a Judge would be willing to be more lenient if said partners were engaged in a pre-existing and or clearly defined relationship?” Maurice said, inconspicuously buried behind legal jargon.

Belle looked towards Nick uncomfortably.

“I was meaning to ask, before…” Nick tilted his head towards Maurice slightly, indicating that he had planned on asking Belle before her father had entered the chambers. 

“Ask what?”

Nick leaned forward, brushing the hair from Belle’s face as he whispered against the shell of her ear, “Would you consent to going steady with me?” He couldn’t quite bring himself to ask her to be his girlfriend, that seemed to juvenile for a man his age.

Belle leaned away from him with a smile, licking her lips before turning to face her father - the Judge. 

“You see Judge French, Nicholas Gold and I have been seeing each other for three weeks, since before the trial. Simply put, he’s my boyfriend.” 

The room was silent, both Belle and Gold waiting for Maurice to undoubtedly freak out. But the man simply stared at them, studying. 

“Well then Miss French, Mr. Gold, you have been relieved of your jury duty, the town thanks you for your service.” Belle and Nick stared at him blankly and so he continued, “That will be all. You may go, Dove will show you out.” He nodded towards the door.

Belle stood extremely slowly, disbelief coursing through her body. Gold gripped tightly on the handle of his cane, clearing his throat before offering Belle his arm. She looped her arm through his and they turned around prepared to leave the chambers.

“Oh and Belle,” Maurice said just as Gold's hand reached the doorknob. The couple halted, turning around to face the Judge, their hearts pounding with nerves. “I’ll expect to see you for supper at six? I’m sure you’ll be bringing over your new boyfriend this time?”

“Of course Papa.” Belle agreed with a nervous smile, turning around and hoping to get out of his chambers as quickly as possible.

“The town is going to have a field day with this one!” Maurice said to himself with a chuckle as the door to his chambers closed and his daughter and her new  _ boyfriend _ left the courtroom. 

Belle and Nicholas had practically run down the front steps of the courthouse, thanking Dove who had led them out before they fled into safety.

“That was so close!” Belle said with a smile, the warm sun shining down on her face as a welcome breeze brushed her hair back.

Nick sent her a sly smile in agreement, “And they say jury duty isn’t any fun!” 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope this brought a little bit of summer heat to you ;) xx


End file.
